Gas-meter.



0. W. HINMAN.

GAS METER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1906.

Patented Sepfll, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 1 w aea' liar/626230- mk My TERs 60., PHOTCHJTHQ, WASHINGTON, D, c.

O. W. HINMAN.

GAS METER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1906.

Patented Sept. 1

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE .qiqems PETERS COJFHOTOJJTHOH wasumcrou. u. c.

CHARLES w. HINMAN, or ro'sron, massacnusn'rrs.

GAS-METER. x

-, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES WQHIQM a citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, county of Sufltolk, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Meters, of which the following is a specification.

In dry gas meters as commonly constructed the ports leading to and from the diaphragm chambers are controlled by two slide valves arranged at an angle of 90 degrees to each other and operated by a crank arm secured to a shaft which isficonnected with and rotated by the oscillating dia-I With thevalves and ports (constructed in the usual manner there is a phragm rods.

constant variation in the resistance ofiered to the flow of gas through the meter with a resultant variation in pressure at the place of use, This variation in the resistance offered to the flow of gas through the-meter is due to the variation in the cross sectional areaof theopen port or ports and of the passage or passages through which the gas flows. When either valve is at the extreme of its throw in either direction the other valve will be in mid position, thus cutting ofi' the flow of-gas, to or from the correspond-. ing diaphragm chambers. Allthegas passing through they meter at this time must therefore ficw from the valve chamber through a single. port and single passageto a diaphragm chamber and from a dia-, phragm chamber through a. singleport' anda single passage to the delivery pipe. vAs the valves move from these positions, gas;

flows through two ports and passages to two diaphragm chambers and from: two diaphragm chambers through two 'ports'and. passages to the delivery pipe. The sum of.

the areas of the openings through the two ports is greater thanthe area of a single port and this sum increases until the valves are symmetrically positioned with respect .to the open ports and then decreases untilonly a single port is open. The resistance to the flow of gas throughthe meter is greatest therefore when a valve is at the extreme. of

its' throwand decreases until they valves are symmetrically positioned with relation to the open ports, then gradually increases until-the other valve is at the limit of its throw.

During the rotation of the crank shaft,

which operates the valves the resistance will thus fluctuate. from the maximumto the. .mlnimum four tlm6s.1 This varlatlon inthe I Specification of LettersIatent. Application filed September 20,190 Serial No. 335,359.

resistance offered to the flow of gasthrough the, meter causes an unequal flow of gas and variation of pressure at the place of'use,

which;is one of the'chief objections to the dry meters as commonly constructed, and this objection increases with an increase in the capacity of the meter. In practising my Patented Sept. 1, 191:4.

inventionI overcome or minimize this objectionable feature of the dry meters by pro viding a means for varying the resistance offered to the flow of gas throughthe meter to compensate for the variation due to the operation of'the valve; so that a substantially constant resistance is olfered to the flow of the gas through the meter and a sub stantially uniform and steady flow and pres- .sure insured under all conditions, of use.

This compensatingresistance may be of any sultable form and constructionandmay be suitably arranged in the passages or open- ,ingsthrough which the gas flows. I prefer however, to vary the resistance ofiered to the how of gas through the meter by thIOt-y tling. the flow of gas to the valve chamber and to operate the throttlingdevice from the crank shaft from which the valves are operated. D For; the purpose shown in the accompanymg drawings two formsin whichmy invention may be embodied.

,In these drawings'Figure 1 is a sectional plan viewlshowing the valvechamber of a dry meter and somuch of the mechamsm as of illustration I have is'necessaryE to show the. application of the present inventionthereto. vFig. 2 is a verti cal central, section on line 2-2 of, Fig. 1.

Fig. '3 ,is a sectional elevation on line 2 2" 3+3 of Fig. .1. Fig. 4 is a detail .view of the jvalve operating crank and of thecompen eating-device; and F1gs'5and 6 are sectional detail views showing a modlfied form of compensating device. a I

In-the construction of meter shown in the drawings the shaft. 1 which operates the valves isprovided at its upper end with a crank 2 which is connected by means of 1 links 3 andwith crank arms 5 and 6se- .cured to the upper ends of the diaphragm rods7 and 8Q The diaphragm ro ds7 and 8 are oscillated by the movement of the dia- I phragms in the usual manner and by their oscillation causeft he rotation of the crank shaft 1.

The'valve's 9 flow of gas to. and from the diaphragm 10 which control the chambers are connected by links 11, 12 to a crank 13 carried by the shaft 1. The valves are arranged in the usual manner at an angle of 90 degrees to each other and are of the usual D form. These valves in connection with the ports 1%, 15 and 16 control the communication between the valve chamber 17 and the dlaphragm chambers and between the diaphragm chambers and the delivery passages 171 which lead from the ports 16 to the delivery pipe 18. The iniiowing gas 'flows to the valve chamber 17 through the inlet pipe 19 and an inlet passage 20'which leads from the pipe and discharges through a port or opening 21 into the valve chamber.

The construction of the meter as thus far described is substantially the same as the usual construction and the valves are operated in the usual manner and cooperate with the registering mechanism and diaphragms and diaphragm chambers which are not shown, to measure and register the volume of gas passing through the meter.

In the construction shown in Figs. 14;,

the means for compensating for the variation in resistance to the flow of gas through .the meter due to the operation of the valves,

comprises a series of arms 22 connected to the shaft 1 and arranged to pass over-the opening 21 through which the gas flows into the valve chamber. There are four arms 22 symmetrically arranged about the axis of the-shaft 1 and these arms are so arranged upon the shaft that one of the arms will be in the position indicated. in Figs. 1 and 4 over the opening 21 whenever the valves 9 and 10 are symmetrically positioned with WVhen in this.

relation to the open ports. position the arm 22 which overhes theopenmg 21, serves to throttle the flow of gas through the opening 21, thus offering a resistance to the flow of gas through the meter. At this time the valves are in'such position that the smn of the open areas of the ports l l is the greatest and therefore the re sistance offered to the flow of gas through the ports and passages leading from the ports'to the delivery pipe is the minimum resistance offered by these ports and passages. As the shaft lrevolves to move the valves, an arm 22 gradually passes from above the opening 21 thus offering a gradually decreasing resistance to the flow of gas through the meter. as the resistance oifered to the flow by the ports and passages increases. The shaft and proportions of the v opening 21 and arms 22 should be such that the gradually varying resistance offered by the arms 22 will compensate for the varying resistance offered by the ports and passages so that a substantially constant resistance will be offered to the flow of the gas through the meter.

In Figs. 5 and 6 a somewhat modified form of compensating device is shown. In the construction shown in these views the inlet passage '20 delivers into the valve chamber through a vertical opening 21 and the compensating device is in the form of a disk secured to the shaft 1 and provided with vertically extending lips or arms 22' arranged to be brought successively in front of the opening 21. With this construction an arm 22 is gradually brought into position in front of the opening 21 as the valves are moved from a position where one of them is at one end of its throw to a position where the sum of the areas of the open ports is the greatest and is gradually moved away from its position in front of the opening '21 as the valves are moved from this position to the positionswhere one is at the limit of its throw and the other is in mid position.

Other forms and arrangements of compensating devices for varying the resistance meter in inverse relation to the variation in resistance caused by the operation of the valves may be employed without departmg from' my invention.

offered to the flow of the gas through the I lVithout attempting to point out the vari .ous forms and arrangements in which the nvention may be embodied, what I claim,

and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A gasmeter, having, in combination,

valves and valve seats provided with ports offering a variable resistance to the flow of gas according to the position of the valves,

means offering an inversely varying resistance to the flow of gas through the meter to compensate for the variation in the resistance ofi'ered to said flow by the valves and ports, and means for operating the valves and resistance means, substantially as described. i

2. A gas meter, having, in'combination,

.lvalvcs'and valve seat p o with ports for operating the valves and for operating the compensating device to maintain a substantially constant flow of gas through the meter, substantially as described.

LA gas meter, having, in combination,

valves and valve seats provided with ports for controlling the flow of gas, to vari:

Zably throttle, the flow of gas through the ports, a throttlingdevice, and means opervice to variably throttle the flow of gas in- Cit versely to the throttling of the valves, substantially as described. 7

5. A gas meter, having, in combination, valves and valve seats provided with ports for controlling the flow of gas, means for operating the valves, and a resistance device to compensate for the variable resistance offered to the flow of by the valve ports, said resistance device being operatively connected to the valve operating means, substantially as described.

6. A gas meter, having, in combination,

valves and valve seats provided with portsfor controlling theflow of gas, a crank shaft, means connecting the crank shaft and valves, and a resistance device operated by the crank shaft to compensate for the variable resistance oifered to the flow of gas by the valve ports, substantially as described.

7 A gas meter, having, in combination, valves and valve seats provided with ports oifering variable open area for the fiow of gas, -a conduit provided with an opening through which the gas flows, and automatic means for operating the valves and for varying the area of the opening inversely to the variation in the area of the open ports, substantially as described.

8. A gas meter, having, in combination,

valves and valve seats providedwith ports for controlling the flow of gas, a conduit provided With an opening through which the gas flows, a series of arms, and means for operating the valves and for moving said arms successively across the opening to vary its area inversely to the variation in the area of the open ports, substantially as described. I

9. A gas meter, having, in combination, valves and valve seats provided with ports for controlling the flow of gas, a crank shaft, means connecting the crank shaft and valves, a conduit provided With an opening through which the gas flows, and a series of arms on the shaft arranged to pass across the opening and vary its area inversely'to the variation in the area of the open ports, substantially as described.

10. A gas meter, having, in combination, diaphragm chambers, valves and valve seats provided with ports for controlling the flow of gas to and from the diaphragm chambers, means for operating the valves, a conduit provided with an opening through which the gas flows, and means connected with the valve operating means for varying the area of the opening inversely to the variation in the area of the ports caused by the operation of the valves, substantially as described.

11. A gas meter, having, in combination, two valves, means for reversely operating the valves to control inlet and delivery ports, and automatic means for operating the valves and for varying theresistance to the flow of gas through themeter inversely to the variation in the resistance caused by the operation of the valves, substantially as described. I

12. A gas meter, having, in combination, a

valve chamber, a delivery conduit, valves controlling the flow of gas from the valve chamber into the delivery conduit, means for reversely moving the valves, and means connected with the valve moving means for equalizing the flow of gas through themeter, substantially as described.

13. A gas meter, having, in combination, dia 'ahragm chambers, valves for controlling the flow of gas to and from the diaphragm chambers, mechanism for reversely reciproeating the valves, and means connected with the valve operating mechanism for varying the'resistance to the flow of gas through-the meter inverselyto' the variation produced by the reciprocation of the valves, substantially as described.

14. A gas meter, having, in combination, valves and valve seats provided with" ports for controlling the flow of gas, valve operating mechanism, and a resistance device for opposing theflow of gas through the meter, said resistance device being operativelyconnected to the valve operating mechanism substantially as described.

15. A gas meter, having, in combination,

valves, valve seats provided with ports,

mechanism for operating'the valves, and means operated by the valve operating mechanism to compensate forthe variations in the resistance ofiered to the flow of gas by the varying effective area of the ports, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 8th day of September 1906.

CHARLES W. HINMAN.

In the presence of-- IRA L. FIsH, KATHARINE A. DUGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for 'five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. l

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,109,225, granted September 1, 1914:, upon the application of Charles W. Hinman, of Boston, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Gas-Meters, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 57, for the Word shaft read shape; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 19th day of January, A. D., 1915.

R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Actmg Commissioner of Patents.

[SEAL] 

